The present invention relates generally to a cosmetic stick for a powder stick or pencil for directly applying powder to the skin.
A cosmetic stick for a powder pencil for directly applying powder to the skin comprises for example base components in powder form, which are bound together to form a rigid or stable stick body, together with pigments and possibly a binding agent and adhesion-enhancing agent. Such powder sticks or pencils which are used for decorative cosmetic purposes differ from powder compacts or powder blocks insofar as a powder stick or pencil is used to apply the powder directly to the ski by rubbing the actual powder pencil against the surface of the skin, whereas the application of powder from a powder compact or a powder block requires an applicator or powder puff, by means of which powder is first picked up on the applicator from the solid block of powder and then transferred from the applicator on to the skin. A considerable advantage of powder pencils of that kind is that the powder material can be applied to the skin in a substantially more accurate and more finely controlled manner, and in the form of finer and more delicate patterns as may be required, than is possible when using an applicator. Consequently, powder pencils are suitable in particular for eye make-up.
In order to ensure that the surface of the powder pencil or the stick body therein does not pick up moisture and grease from the skin by virtue of the direct contact therewith, which would result in the surface of the powder pencil becoming clogged in a relatively short time, being a phenomenon which may be referred to as glazing, thereby preventing further powder from being transferred from the stick body portion of the powder pencil on to the skin, a particular material may be added to the cosmetic stick, in addition to the above-mentioned base components, the particles of the additional particulate material being harder than the base components and being in the range of from 10 to 100.mu. in size (see for example German patent specification No. 3 103 128). The base components may also partially or predominantly comprise flake-like particles, comprising for example mica (see for example German patent specification No. 2 540 877).
When using powders for decorative cosmetic purposes, it is the usual and a desirable practice to provide a plurality of colour tones or shades so that transitional areas and shading areas can be shaded away or toned down. For that purpose, in the context of conventional powder compacts and powder blocks, it is known for a pluraity of powder colours or shades which are matched to each other to be disposed in a packaging unit. When the person using the powder wishes to have a shading effect or a gradual and progressive variation in powder colouring, then the applicator is used to apply powder material from powder blocks or compacts of differet colours, to the skin. When carrying out such a make-up operation, it is essentially a matter of the skill of the person using the powder to obtain correct matching of the powder colours applied, by applying suitable amounts of the respective powders to the skin by means of the applicator. It will be appreciated however that not every person using the powder make up of that kind may have such a high level of skill and the effects are not always satisfactory. When using powder pencils or sticks, a corresponding procedure for applying different shades of powders can be performed only by using a plurality of powder pencils in succession to apply different powder shades to the skin. That mode of procedure also requires considerable skill if a satisfactory shading effect is to be produced, while it is also necessary to buy and carry around, a number of different powder pencils for giving the different powder colours.